Member of the Missouri State Council of Firefighters:
On December 28th the Secretary of State’s Office approved five petitions for circulation pertaining to the repeal of earnings taxes. (The only cities currently using this funding source are Kansas City and St. Louis) Five more petitions have been approved since that time. Signatures would have to be gathered totaling about 100,000 valid signatures in six of nine U.S. Congressional Districts. If the signatures are collected they would likely gather many more to ensure enough valid signatures are obtained. This would place a question on a statewide ballot as to whether to repeal the ability for Cities to use an earnings tax. A petition has been selected and circulation has begun. It appears if the petition drive, and the statewide vote, are successful the question would then go to both Cities for a vote. If the votes of the Cities fail to remove the tax, it would have to be voted on every five years thereafter. If the votes pass to remove the tax it would descend over a 10 year period.
Earnings taxes are essentially city income taxes for anyone that works or lives in that city. A repeal of this tax in either entity would be devastating in impact on their budget. This tax goes to the General Fund of each municipality. In Kansas City the 1% tax amounts to about 200 Million annually and 37% of their General Fund. In St. Louis it accounts for about 150 million annually and 42% of the General Fund. A large portion of the public safety budgets are derived from the General Funds and without another revenue stream to replace this would most likely result in massive layoffs of public safety positions. I would expect this to have ancillary impacts on the surrounding communities as well. We are asking you to help. If you see someone collecting signatures for this Do Not Sign It. Further, tell all of your friends and family that the repeal is detrimental to public safety. We will continue to look for ways to defeat this through litigation or a PR campaign. If you have questions or need further information please contact us. Thank you for your help and we will continue to try our best to stay on top of the situation.
Empowering Our Members By Affecting Public Policy Through
Political Action, Community Service, Research and Education
The Missouri State Council of Fire Fighters was chartered by our parent organization, the International Association of Fire Fighters, as the exclusive statewide Fire Fighter Organization in Missouri on September 15, 1943 . Our presence in the halls of the State Capitol in Jefferson City has been very effective, and as a result, we have guided through to passage over 230 pieces of legislation beneficial to our affiliates. Our membership totals over 6000 employees and retirees throughout Missouri and we are the exclusive legislative voice representing this group of united and courageous Brothers and Sisters of the Fire, Prosecuting Attorney, and EMS Service..
Some of the major legislative gains the Council has worked on include:
· The Heart and Lung Bill,
· The Fire Department Anti-Privatization Act,
· The Quarter Cent Sales Tax for fire districts and fire departments,
· The Infectious Disease Testing Act,
· The addition of cancer into the workers compensation statutes for paid firefighters
· The passage of firefighter collective bargaining legislation
o (which was vetoed by then Governor Ashcroft in 1990).
· The passage of protective clothing standards
· The passage of DROP plan pension language
· The passage of pension protections for all departments
Whenever an affiliate has a problem that requires legislative remedy, the Council is always on the job in Jefferson City to serve our membership and bring relief to that local. In addition to legislative work, the Council is there to service locals in contract negotiations and whatever problems may arise in the course of doing union business. We work hand in hand with the International Association of Fire Fighters to assure that quality service is provided to our membership.
